1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to informing vehicle owners regarding vehicle safety messages, and more particularly, to a method and system for broadcasting safety messages to a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Existing methods and systems for the upkeep and maintenance of vehicles are limited in their ability to inform vehicle owners about recommended vehicle service. Examples of existing service/maintenance information systems include warning lights that are activated upon the detection of certain conditions, such as low oil levels, etc. Vehicle owners sometimes observe such preprogrammed messages, but do not comprehend the significance of the messages and/or how soon vehicles should be taken in for service. Moreover, because such systems are based on preprogrammed maintenance conditions or schedules, the systems are particularly limited in their ability to notify vehicle owners about subsequent developments, such as car part/product recall messages or the development of improved or updated parts to be used in their vehicles.
Through their own tests, inspection procedures and information gathering systems, vehicle manufacturers may discover that a safety defect exists or that the requirements of a safety standard have not been met. The manufacturer is then obligated to report such findings to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and take appropriate action to correct the problem. Within a reasonable time after the determination of a safety defect or noncompliance, vehicle manufacturers must notify by letter all registered owners and purchasers of the affected vehicles of the existence of the problem and give an evaluation of its risk to motor vehicle safety.
In the past, vehicle manufacturers and other service providers had no recourse but to mail vehicle safety messages to vehicle owners in order to notify of a safety issue or the development of an improved part to be used in the vehicle. The process of mailing safety messages is not only expensive, but timely, cumbersome and inefficient. The vehicle manufacturer has no indication that the safety message was received by the vehicle owner as mailing addresses may be incorrect or mail must be forwarded to a newer address causing delays in communication and difficulty for vehicle manufacturers to notify a vehicle owner of safety issues regarding a specific vehicle.
One method used to overcome these limitations is to use one-to-one communication systems, such as the OnStar service offered by General Motors Corporation, in an attempt to send vehicle-specific information to a particular vehicle. The OnStar service verbally reminds vehicle owners of a recall message, via a human operator or advisor, when the OnStar service is activated and the owner has failed to take their vehicle in for recall repairs. For the case of a recall message, many vehicles require the same safety information. The OnStar service utilizes the cellular network to transmit messages to a vehicle. Carriers in the cellular network have a limited bandwidth or data transfer capacity within the cellular network. Thus, the one-to-one approach to notifying the vehicles would involve the transmittal of the same information multiple times to a plurality of vehicles, resulting in a waste of precious bandwidth.
Another method using a one-to-one communication system involves sending an e-mail containing vehicle-specific information to a group of vehicles that may be affected by a recall message. The vehicle contains an e-mail client with an e-mail address unique to the vehicle. A recall message is then sent to the specific e-mail addresses of the affected vehicles and an e-mail server, located external to the vehicle, routes the e-mail message to each e-mail address specified in the header of the e-mail message.
Other methods currently in use involve the transmittal of the same information to all vehicles (i.e., one-to-many), rather than targeting a subset of the vehicles. An example would be a notification relying on mass media (e.g., commercial radio and television broadcasts) to notify the public of a recall. Media coverage provides notification for those who cannot be reached by mailings, and reinforces the message for those who receive a direct message. Recall advertising, however, can be complicated by problems in reaching the affected consumers and, additionally, vehicle owners would receive recall notifications that are not relevant to their vehicle and would make it more likely that they would ignore a safety message that is relevant.
For routine service work, such as oil and brake maintenance services, the dealer often has the needed parts (e.g., oil filters, brake pads, etc.) in its inventory. For specialized service involving product recalls/updates, however, the dealer may not have the needed parts in stock, which can delay the service time or cause the vehicle owner to make a subsequent trip to the dealer when the parts become available. When parts are not in stock, vehicle manufacturers may negotiate with the NHTSA in order to coordinate regional safety message mailings based upon availability of parts in that region.
As such, what is needed is a system and method for using a one-to-many approach to selectively target vehicles affected by a vehicle part recall/update message. The method would preferably involve the selection of affected vehicle owners, coordination with dealers on parts inventory, and subsequent transmittal of a broadcast message directly to the vehicle that requires service in order to quickly notify the affected vehicle owner of the safety issue. The method and system described herein would better ensure vehicle repair, reduce the need for multiple visits to the dealer, and improve the effectiveness of recall campaigns.